Last year was pretty clear cut in the Conference North, Alfreton were pretty much definitely going up despite having a ridiculous backlog of games, the play-off places were fairly clear early on and Redditch were dropping like a stone from around February time, but this season it looks set to be a bit closer at both ends of the table and closer still in the middle.

Flashing across the BBC website on Sunday afternoon came a result which couldn't help but raise an eyebrow or two: Alfreton Town 14-0 Sheffield Wednesday. The truth was less exciting than the initial rush might have led some Sheffield United supporters to hope. Wednesday hadn't put out their first team for this match against a club from the Blue Square Premier, but neither had they dressed eleven scarecrows in blue and white striped shirts and placed them strategically around the pitch in the hope that no-one would notice.